


Roses Are Red, Violets are Blue, I am Galra and I want to mate you.

by Kimmimaru



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mates, Mating Rituals, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 00:33:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20282437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmimaru/pseuds/Kimmimaru
Summary: Keith starts acting weird when the Voltron team takes a break...Shiro ends up the centre of his attention.





	Roses Are Red, Violets are Blue, I am Galra and I want to mate you.

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this aaaagesss ago and forgot about it. I apologise for the shitty attempt at a funny title also my...odd sense of humour. Enjoy.

It was a vacation. The planet was small but populated by plenty of flora and fauna, it's atmosphere was pink and dusted everything in a strange ruddy glow. The Castle had landed on a grassy hill, a cool breeze rustling gently through the flowers around them. Below the hill was a deep forest, lush with varying shades of green and blue. Beyond that was a haze, making Shiro think of the sea. He smiled as he watched Lance throw himself on the ground, laughing as he took in deep lungfuls of fresh air. It'd been too long since they'd had a chance like this, a chance to remember to be human again. Hunk was off inspecting plants, checking for anything edible while Pidge huddled inside the Green Lion's hangar probably working on some project or other. Allura sat with Coran on a blanket, talking softly to him while they looked out across the valley. Shiro followed their gazes and saw Keith stood some way down the hill, he was bent down and seemed to be looking at something. Shiro moved towards him, smiling as he came up behind him, “What you got there?”  
  
Keith startled, looking up and blinking in surprise, “Shiro.” He said, shock fading into a small smile, “I found some flowers.” He lifted his hand and handed them to Shiro, “Uh...for you.” He said, cheeks flushing a pretty shade of pink as he averted his eyes and shoved them against Shiro's chest.  
  
Shiro took the flowers and looked at them, they were small and bright. Varying shades of blue and violet, “Thanks, they're...really pretty.” Shiro's lips curled into an affectionate smile that made Keith's blush deepen.  
  
Keith wrapped his arms around himself, looking away and forcing his face into a frown but Shiro could see the pleased twitch of his lips as he fought back a smile, “Good.” He said and turned away.  
  
That evening Shiro put the flowers in an empty jar he'd got from Hunk and filled it with water. He set them on his desk and smiled when the light hit them. He went to bed and watched them as the lights dimmed.  
  
XXX  
  
The next day Keith was up early and gone before anyone else could even have breakfast. Hunk cooked him something anyway and set it aside for when he came back. The planet they were on had no real intelligent life according to Coran so no one worried. Keith didn't return until late afternoon.  
  
“Keith! Holy-what the hell happened to you?!” Lance's eyes were wide as they fixed on Keith, his gaze sliding over the state of his bloody armour.  
  
“Huh? Oh. I'm fine.” Keith said, his knife still dangling from one hand as he looked down at the mess of fur and flesh at his feet. “I got dinner, I guess.” He said with a small, slightly confused frown.  
  
“D-Dinner?” Lance replied weakly, swallowing back bile at whatever poor animal had become victim to Keith's blade.  
  
“Yeah. For Shiro.” Keith blinked, his eyes a little hazy but his face was serious enough Lance believed him, “Where is he?”  
  
“Uhhh...dude, what the hell is Shiro supposed to do with...whatever that is?” He waved his hand vaguely in Keith's direction.

Keith shrugged as if it was normal for someone to come home covered in blood and dragging a carcass behind them, “Eat it, I guess.”  
  
Lance mouthed Keith's words in numb horror as Keith picked up the animal again and started off down the hallway. Lance blinked once, twice and then turned on his heel to follow. This was too good to miss.  
  
Keith walked steadily so Lance ruled out alcohol as a reason for this sudden insanity. He didn't seem to be on any drugs and he was healthy the last time Coran had forced them all to have medical scans. He didn't know what was happening, only that he had to see Shiro's reaction when Keith brought the grotesque gift to him. Keith found Shiro just as he stepped out of the pool, hair still damp and his swimming shorts hugging his ass as he turned to run a towel through his hair. Keith smiled, eyes lighting up like a kid in a candy store as Shiro heard them coming and turned around. Shiro's own smile faltered when he saw the blood on Keith, his eyes widened in dawning horror until he saw what Keith was carrying. Relief followed, quickly replaced by disgust and then a weak smile as Keith fixed him with his excited gaze, “Hey...Keith...” He managed, his voice coming out slightly strangled.  
  
“Hi.” Keith dropped the creature at Shiro's feet, causing him to wince as it made a sickening squelch and splashed blood over his bare feet, “I got you this.”  
  
“M-Me?” Shiro's eye twitched and he forced his smile to widen, Lance winced in sympathy. Shiro looked like he was in pain.  
  
“Yeah.” Keith flushed, eyes bright and wide like a child who'd found some interesting rock. “I killed it myself.” He said proudly.  
  
“Oh...oh that's...” Shiro swallowed, licking his lips and frowning at the dead thing, “That's...wonderful...but I-uh...I don't...” He cleared his throat and finally met Keith's gaze. “Maybe give it to Hunk to cook? I don't think it's hygienic to leave it lying on the floor.”  
  
Keith hesitated, Lance held his breath suddenly terrified Keith would start crying or something equally as awful. Then Keith took a breath and nodded, frowning thoughtfully, “Yeah. Sorry...I...dunno what I was even thinking.” He looked down at his hands in confusion, flexing his fingers experimentally, “I'm not even sure it's edible.” He mumbled.  
  
“Keith, are you...feeling ok?” Shiro asked uncertainly, making to move forward but his toes dipped into the blood pooling around the animal. He winced, grimacing and stepped back again.  
  
“Oh, yeah I feel fine. Great actually.” Keith said, smiling but there was something off in his eyes. Shiro sighed.  
  
“Well, get that to Hunk, I'm sure he'll be able to make something with it.”  
  
“Yeah I'll do that.” Keith picked up the carcass and started back the way he came, leaving behind a trail of bloody foot prints. Shiro stared after him before realising Lance was standing a few feet away. They shared a look, both silently wondering what the hell was happening.  
  
Hunk was more than pleased with the meat, he looked it over briefly before rolling up his sleeves with a determined frown. “So, where'd you find it?” He asked as he grabbed one of his sharpest knives and tied an apron around his waist.  
  
“The forest. What are you going to make?” Keith asked curiously.  
  
“I dunno, I was thinking stew maybe. I've never used meat this fresh before but it seems ok. I'm sure everyone'll love it...”  
  
“No.” Keith looked at Hunk in horror, “This is for Shiro.”  
  
“What?” Hunk stepped back as Keith moved closer, eyes wide and pupils a little dilated, “Uh...Keith? Man, you're...kinda scaring me...”  
  
“I got it for Shiro. It's his.”  
  
“Ok, ok...chill,” Hunk held up both hands palms outward until Keith relaxed his shoulders, “I'll make him something nice, he'll love it. I promise.”  
  
Keith's smile was small and soft, his cheek flushing with colour. “Thanks, Hunk. You're the best.”  
  
That night at dinner everyone gathered to eat. Hunk, hair sticking to his forehead in sweaty snarls, came to the table dragging a massive stewing pot. He set it down in front of Shiro, “This is yours.” He said, smile wide enough to show teeth. From somewhere behind the huge pot Shiro heard Lance snickering, “It's kind of based on Japanese hot pot but uh...it won't be the same.” Hunk warned him, frowning a little, “I couldn't get the flavours quite right.”  
  
Shiro stared at the bubbling pot in shock, face pale, “That's...that's a lot.” He glanced sideways at Keith who was watching carefully, concern written across his face as he chewed his lip, “Hey, I'm sure it'll be great though.” Shiro said, smiling at Keith who grinned back, obviously pleased.  
  
Shiro ate a bowl, Hunk's cooking yet again not letting him down. He cleaned the bowl and helped himself to seconds but that was about all he could stomach. “Any way we can save the rest?” He asked Hunk when he drew near to him, voice low.  
  
Hunk glanced back at Keith who was talking to Pidge before answering, “We can probably save about half of it. That thing...whatever it was...was huge, man.”  
  
“Yeah,” Shiro sighed, “Just don't tell Keith, he's been acting weird.”  
  
Hunk nodded slowly, eyes wide before he scuttled off again.  
  
XXX  
  
The third day during their vacation Keith found Shiro lying in a patch of sunlight, resting. He was dressed only in a pair of loose fitting pants and his shirt had been discarded by his side. Sweat slicked his skin, indicating he had just finished working out. When Keith approached Shiro opened an eye and smiled at him, “Hey,”  
  
Keith sat down and drew his knees to his chest before holding out his hand. Shiro looked and saw a small white stone sat in the palm of his glove, “I found it and thought that you'd like it.” He said, and Shiro couldn't say no. he picked it up and turned it over in his hands. It was cloudy but inside he could see a dark centre, kind of like an eye. It was smooth and cool to the touch.  
  
“Thanks, it's pretty.” Shiro eyed Keith's flushed, smiling face for a moment before asking, “Are you sure you're ok? You're acting kinda...off.”  
  
“I'm fine, Shiro. Promise.” Keith smiled at him, leaning back against his hands, he took a deep breath and let it out again, “It's nice here.”   
  
Shiro smiled and lay back again, looking up at the pink sky, “Yeah, it is.”  
  
XXX  
  
That evening Shiro found Allura wondering through the halls in her night gown, a frown marring her face as she searched through closets and cupboards. “Allura?”  
  
“Oh, Shiro.” Allura offered him a small smile, “I was just looking for one of my blankets...it appears to have gone missing since I had it laundered yesterday.”  
  
“What does it look like, maybe I'll be able to help?”  
  
“It was large and blue with a pretty little pattern embroidered around the edges. My...mother made it a long time ago.”  
  
Shiro nodded, “If I find it I'll let you know.”  
  
“Thank you. Sleep well, Shiro.”  
  
“You too Princess,” Shiro watched Allura walk away before returning to his room.   
  
The next morning it was Pidge who came to him complaining of missing pillow cases, she described a stain that the cleaning bots couldn't get out in one corner. Shiro told her he'd try and find it.  
  
Later Lance came storming into the seating area and demanded to know what had happened to his robes, no one seemed know.  
  
Hunk missed a soft blanket he'd found at one of the supply runs to a market, he had put it in to wash the day before but like everyone else it was nowhere to be found.   
  
Coran checked the bots and they were all working fine. According to the data he retrieved all their stuff had been cleaned and piled up in the usual place, ready for them to collect and take to their rooms. Coran mentioned a very old tapestry he had had, ten thousand years old and made by the blind bug people of Ao that was also missing.   
  
Everyone searched but no one could find any trace of the items. Shiro began to worry when he realised that Keith was also missing.  
  
Hours later Keith returned. He was pink in the face, panting and was sweating rather a lot. He stumbled through the castle doors hugging something close to his chest. He ran past Pidge who opened her mouth to greet him but before she could even get a word out he was gone again. She sighed and opened the comms to Shiro, “Hey, I just saw Keith and he...looks kinda sick.”  
  
“Thanks Pidge, I'll try and see if he's ok.”  
  
Shiro stood from where he had been doing sit ups and went to grab his towel, he'd see to Keith as soon as he had a shower. Everyone was worried, Keith was isolating himself more and more frequently in his room and rarely came out except to eat and offer Shiro a new gift. He wasn't sure where he was going to begin putting all the things Keith brought him, from flowers, to stones to interesting pieces of wood Keith had discovered. It was...strange. They had to get to the bottom of it and make sure it wasn't anything serious. Shiro left his room and walked down the hall towards the community showers. He entered and heard Lance's soft voice coming from one of the stalls near the door, Lance was singing under his breath. Shiro smiled and shook his head, dumping his towel on the seating provided and stripped off his sweaty shirt and pants. When he was done Lance stepped out and smiled in greeting.  
  
“Hey,”  
  
“Hi. Keith's back.”  
  
“Yeah I heard. You got any idea what's wrong with him?”  
  
“I dunno I-”  
  
At that moment the door opening cut Shiro off, they turned to see Keith enter. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw Lance and Shiro, standing close and both totally naked. Keith's eyes widened as he dragged his eyes over Shiro and then turned his focus on Lance. His face twisted, a vicious, animalisitic snarl creasing his face. He growled. Actually growled before launching himself at Lance. Lance squawked, slipping on the tiles and falling backwards with his arms full of furious Keith. Keith pinned him down with his weight before pulling his arm back and socking Lance straight in the eye. The crunch of bone shocked Shiro out of his frozen state and he bent down, grabbing Keith under the arms and yanking him off. He remembered all the times he'd had to do this when they had been back at the Garrison as Keith squirmed and fought, snarling and spitting like a furious cat. Shiro pulled him off and held him while Lance dragged himself to his feet.  
  
“What the hell, man?!” Lance shouted, wincing as he touched fingers to his eye.  
  
“Don't go near him!” Keith growled, glaring at Lance like he'd murdered a member of his family.  
  
“Lance...just go!” Shiro demanded, holding onto Keith with all his strength. Lance hesitated a moment before nodding, he snatched up his towel and left the room. When he was gone Keith went lax throwing Shiro off balance and causing him to fall back against the wall. Keith turned within the circle of Shiro's arms, face suddenly soft and open as he reached up and ran his fingers down Shiro's face.

“You ok? Did...did he hurt you?”  
  
“Keith...” Shiro sighed, letting himself drop to the cold floor with a small wince, “It's just Lance. He wouldn't...probably couldn't hurt me.”  
  
Keith blinked, Shiro noticing the way his pupils thinned momentarily before returning to normal. “Oh...oh shit.” Keith's eyes widened as what he'd done sank in. He lifted a hand to his mouth, “I'm...sorry...I didn't...”  
  
“It's ok but we might need to get you checked out...just in case.”  
  
Keith frowned into space a moment, nodding absently while they picked themselves up off the floor. “Let me take a shower first.” Keith sat down on the bench and frowned at his hands, his knuckles were bruising already but there was little pain when he flexed his fingers.  
  
Coran met them in the infirmary with a sulky Lance and his blackening eye. Keith entered behind Shiro and sent Lance an apologetic grimace, Lance shrugged and sighed. Coran scanned Keith's entire body and then began running a few other basic tests including taking some blood. Shiro shifted uncomfortably when the needles came out but he turned away and pretended to be watching the nearby screen for any anomalies. When Coran was done he ran everything through the computer, humming to himself until the results came through.  
  
“Well, looks like everything's normal!” Coran grinned, “Except for an increase in hormone production.”  
  
“What...what does that mean?” Shiro asked curiously, glancing at Keith who was kicking his legs back and forth on the table.  
  
“I'm...not really sure. You see our equipment is set for humans and Alteans not...not Galran biology.”   
  
“You think this has something to do with his Galra blood?” Lance asked, coming up behind Coran and making sure he kept away from Shiro.  
  
“Maybe, I think we'd be better off getting some advice from actual Galra.”  
  
“Kolivan,” Shiro nodded, running a hand down the side of his face, noting the rash of stubble there with a small wince. “We'll contact the Blade and see if they can help.”   
  
They sent the message for Kolivan to contact them and Shiro went to bed, he was exhausted and could feel a little knot of worry sit between his shoulder blades. He yawned as he moved to his bed and began stripping, only then noticing that his pyjamas weren't where he had folded them neatly that morning. Shiro hesitated, frowning as he looked around to see if he'd misplaced them. The flowers Keith had given were gone too, along with the rocks and odd bits and pieces he'd had placed neatly on his desk. Shiro sighed, he hoped they'd find them, he didn't like to think of losing something Keith had given him. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped under the blanket, vaguely registering the fact that his sheet was missing before sleep claimed him.

XXX  
  
Kolivan contacted them a day and half later, Keith had disappeared again but Shiro, Allura and Coran were on the bridge to greet him.   
  
“Voltron, what can I do for you?” Kolivan said, getting straight to the point.  
  
“Well...” Shiro frowned uncertainly, “It's Keith,”  
  
Kolivan's expression barely changed but Shiro thought he caught a tiny frown, “Is he well?”  
  
“Yeah...well, mostly. You see he's been acting really weird,” Shiro launched into a description of Keith's odd behaviour and when he was done he saw Kolivan's ears twitch and a small smile curl his lips.  
  
“Did you accept his gifts?” He asked.  
  
“Well...y-yeah I did.” Shiro frowned, “What's that got to do with anything?”  
  
“He's courting you. He's going through Graklich,” Kolivan frowned and looked off to the side a moment before continuing, “It is the Galra mating season, it happens once every five years and helps to increase our population during the rainy seasons on Daibazaal...obviously nowadays it is not so essential to our survival.”  
  
“C-Courting...” Shiro muttered weakly, eyes wide as he looked to Coran who was stroking his moustache and eyeing Shiro curiously.  
  
“Yes, yes of course! It would explain the sudden spike in hormones!” Coran smacked his fist into his palm, “And all of our stuff going missing!”  
  
“Yes, he is nesting. Preparing to impress you.” Kolivan was now obviously hiding his amusement, “He is young, not yet used to these intense desires. As he grows older he will be able to handle them better but for now you must try to avoid upsetting him too much. A young Galra in their first Graklich can be...volatile.”  
  


“Why me?” Shiro muttered, feeling shocked and unsteady on his feet.  
  
“You are obviously a prime mate in his eyes, Shiro. You are strong, your bonds go deep.”  
  
“He-he-” Shiro couldn't even get the words out, his voice ended in a small, painful sounding wheeze.

  
“Shiro,” Kolivan's voice turned stern, forcing Shiro to meet his eerie yellow eyes, “If you do not feel the same you must reject his gifts. He is vulnerable, prone to emotional and unstable outbursts it will only grow worse if you do not stop this before it gets out of hand.”  
  
Shiro could only nod weakly at that as the screen went dark. Allura glanced back at him before ushering Coran out of the room so Shiro could be alone to think. Slowly he sank down into a nearby chair and stared down at his hands. One metal, one flesh. He curled them into fists as he considered what everything meant. By accepting Keith's gifts he had been accepting Keith's affection in a way he wasn't entirely certain Keith really wanted. The only thing Shiro knew was that deep down inside he wanted to selfishly hold onto the gifts, even after he knew what they meant. However, he couldn't be sure if Keith's feelings extended beyond him seeing Shiro as something more than a strong, suitable mate. What if, after Keith's hormones had died down, he realised his mistake? Would Shiro be taking advantage of him in this state? Was he in control enough for him to even make rational decisions? Shiro sighed, rubbing at his eyes with a heavy groan. He couldn't make this decision, really, it wasn't his to make anymore. He'd made up his mind a few weeks after they were sling shotted into space that if Keith were to ever return his feelings he would say yes without any hesitation.   
  
Keith knelt on his floor, smoothing out yet another blanket he'd found in the laundry. He plumped up a pillow, adjusted a few sparkling stones and pretty, twisted roots he'd dug up. Then he moved back to take it all in. His room was transformed from it's normal, bare walls and empty draws to a den. Blankets were draped over a mountain of pillows to form a tent-like structure. Rocks and odds and ends were placed carefully around the edges, the flowers Keith had given Shiro were in their little jar off to the side and their scent permeated the air with a pleasant sweetness. Keith shifted, his hand twitching as heat bubbled beneath his skin. He wasn't entirely certain what he was doing. He just knew that he had to make everything comfortable and pretty. He had to or his head felt tight, like he was going to explode or crawl out of his own skin. He had hunted some more, finding one or two animals for Hunk to cook and was pleased when Shiro ate them. It sent thrills down his spine, causing him to rumble happily. He could hunt, when he was in the desert it was that or starve but he'd never thought to hunt for someone else before. He shifted, moving to the pile of blankets and pillows and curling up in them. He pulled a pair of Shiro's pyjamas close and held them, burying his face in them as he closed his eyes.  
  
XXX  
  
“So...Keith's what? Having some kinda...mating cycle?” Hunk's face twisted, “That's not something I needed to know. Not at all.” He shook his head, as if it could dislodge the knowledge.  
  
“Interesting.” Pidge mused, curling up on her side of the curved sofa with her feet beneath her. “The Galra have mating cycles.”  
  
“Is that why he punched me?” Lance's eyes widened, now sporting dark bruising all around the socket, “Because he sees me as some...threat or something?”  
  
“Because you got too close to Shiro,” Pidge snickered, pushing hair from her eyes. “He thinks Shiro's his mate.”  
  
“Enough. Come on guys, this isn't a joke. Keith can't help what he's going through, he needs us to be able to support him.” Shiro sighed, rubbing his neck just as the doors opened to reveal Keith. He looked pale and tired but his eyes fixated on Shiro, pupils dilating and the purple darkening. His lips parted to reveal sharper than usual canine teeth and lips damp with saliva. Shiro's smile faltered as Keith stalked towards him, like a predator ready to devour his prey. He was frozen to the spot as Keith slid into his lap, long limbed and easy, soft against Shiro's hands as he automatically wrapped them around his tiny waist.  
  
“Oookaaay, I'm done.” Hunk rose and scuttled from the room, quickly followed by Pidge who grabbed Lance on her way out.   
  
“Keith...” Shiro took a breath as Keith leaned in close and pushed his head under Shiro's chin like a cat, he laughed against the curls of his hair and smiled, “You're weirdly cuddly today.”  
  
“Mm, I got something to show you.” Keith pulled back and took Shiro's hand in his own as he slid off his lap and pulled him up. Together they made their way out of the seating area and into the hall.   
“Where are we going?” Shiro asked, curiosity piqued.  
  
“I'll show you.” Keith glanced back at him, cheeks still pink and eyes eager. Their fingers tangled as Keith tugged him towards the living quarters.  
  
Finally they stood outside Keith's room and he opened the door. Shiro stepped inside and gazed around at the nest. He spotted Allura's blanket draped and pinned so it formed the top of a tent-like structure. It was filled with cushions and blankets and Shiro spotted his pyjamas and underwear tucked into it. He saw the glittery stones and roots and flowers Keith had given him and turned to him. Keith stood by the door, looking like he was about to bolt if Shiro said the wrong thing. “It's lovely.” Shiro whispered, voice going hoarse as Keith's eyes widened.  
  
Shiro took Keith by the upper arms, guiding him back and down onto the cushions. He leaned over him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, “Thanks,” He breathed and watched in awe as Keith's face turned red and a small, hesitant little smile curled his lips.  
  
  
  



End file.
